Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League Boosted by $170k FIFA Forward Fund

The Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League (ZWSL) has received a significant financial boost through a $170,000 commitment from FIFA and ZIFA as part of the FIFA Forward Fund. This support is aimed at enhancing the operations of clubs and the league.

Funding Breakdown and Distribution:

A total of $160,000 has been allocated directly to the 16 clubs, with each club receiving $10,000.

The league itself has been granted $10,000.

As of June 30th, each club has received 50% ($5,000) of their funds. The remaining 50% will be disbursed mid-season, contingent upon the clubs providing financial and activity reports for the first installment.

FIFA Connect Re-Introduction:

FIFA Connect has been reintroduced to the 16 clubs, with training sessions for club administrators conducted on April 4, 2024. These sessions included the ZWSL clubs and the Northern Region Women’s Football League, with other regions still awaiting training.

All players and technical team members have been registered on the Zim Connect platform, each receiving a card license for the 2024 season.

Referees’ Fees Project:

Through the FIFA Forward Fund, a $40,800 project has been established to cover referees’ fees for the ZWSL.

The league has introduced the use of four officials per game, including a match commissioner to aid in referee development. This is an improvement from previous seasons where only one or two referees officiated.

The current season sees a weekly average of 23 female referees and 9 male referees, ranging from FIFA Panel to ZIFA Class 1.

2024 Season and Surveys:

The 2024 ZWSL season commenced on May 11, 2024.

ZWSL clubs participated in the FIFA Women’s Football Benchmarking Report 2024 survey, an initiative aimed at monitoring and enhancing the development of women’s football globally. This survey provides an accurate and up-to-date picture of the club and league landscape worldwide, enabling informed, data-driven decisions.

Additionally, clubs took part in the FIFA Women’s Football Financial Compensation Framework survey. This survey gathers information to build and implement a training compensation system for women’s football, allowing for the correct categorization of clubs and establishment of training compensation amounts to be paid to beneficiary clubs once the system becomes active.

This comprehensive support and involvement in various initiatives highlight the concerted efforts to elevate the standards and development of women’s football in Zimbabwe.